-AP   Rural America now accounts for just 16 percent of the U.S. population, the lowest ever. The latest 2010 census numbers hint at an emerging America where, by mid-century, city boundaries become indistinct and rural areas grow ever less relevant. Many communities could shrink to virtual ghost towns as they shutter businesses and close down schools, demographers say. More metro areas are booming into sprawling megalopolises. Barring fresh investment that could...

The challenge is to acknowledge the inappropriateness of the current health education and delivery systems, and refashion health care delivery relevant for the country. The confluence of recent events is an opportunity to rethink health systems. The new Medical Council of India, the proposed Human Resources in Health Bill, the penultimate year of the National Rural Health Mission, preparations for the 12th Five Year Plan and the promise of a significant...

The Mumbai blasts have again brought into focus the health infrastructure in Bihar, especially the state capital, and raised questions on whether the city is equipped to deal with emergency situations. The intensive care unit (ICU) at Patna Medical College and Hospital — the premier tertiary care centre in the state — itself needs emergency treatment owing to the poor condition of infrastructure and logistics. Most of its equipment are defunct...

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has decided to take action against Chirayu Medical College and Hospital, a private medical college in Madhya Pradesh set up inside the catchment area of the historic Upper Lake of Bhopal. In a letter to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan last month, a copy of which is withThe Hindu, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh informed Mr. Chauhan that since the project had violated...

An unholy nexus between various healthcare providers, including doctors and private hospitals, has become a stumbling block in delivering benefits to the people at a time when Dispur is pumping in huge funds to bring improvement in the health sector. This was revealed in a multiple-stage survey conducted by Consumer Unity & Trust Society International, a reputed NGO. The survey has found that the government’s various welfare schemes like providing free medicines...